What's on the menu?

The more I think about having "packages" for website builds, the more it makes sense — especially from a business perspective.

In order to maximize profitability, you need to be efficient. 

In order to be efficient, you need processes.

In order to have processes, you need to have standardization.

In order to have standardization, you need some limits as to what you do.

Imagine going to a restaurant with no menu. Each customer orders whatever they feel like eating, and the chefs have to go out, source the ingredients and prepare the meal to the customer's specifications.

There's a reason every restaurant has a menu — because being menuless would be wildly inefficient.

But I sometimes feel like I'm doing the same thing with client work. They come to me wanting a website, and then we go on a grand adventure making every aspect custom to their needs.

Sure, there's a place for that level of customized work — but I'd be shocked if even a fraction of small businesses really need something so bespoke.

It doesn't mean every website is the same...

At the restaurant you can order your steak medium-rare or well done. You can choose from a baked potato or a salad.  These options allow for enough variance to meet people's needs, without having to reinvent the wheel with each customer. 

Imagine how your web design "menu" could improve so many things...

• Eliminating guesswork
• Process standardization
• Boost in productivity
• Reducing scope creep
• Messaging clarity
• Less "new tools" and learning on the job
• Easier to bring in plug-and-play employees/contractors
• Clearer profit & loss

To be honest, I think most of my clients would have preferred I just gave them a list of options to choose from rather than starting from scratch.

Perhaps my pride in being a "custom shop" is a detriment to both me and my customers.